Who's being added to London's business hall of fame?

The founder of a prominent London law firm and the head of a Southwestern Ontario-based egg operation are being feted for their lifetime contributions to the business community.

Claude Pensa, a lawyer for 57 years, and Bill Gray, president of LH Gray and Son Limited, were named Thursday as laureates to be inducted into the 2018 Junior Achievement London and District Business Hall of Fame.

“By recognizing their achievements, the life of each Hall of Fame inductee stands as a testament to the positive impact they have made, and acts as a role model for enterprising young people for generations to come,” Junior Achievement chief executive Bev Robinson said during a presentation at the Central Library, where roughly two dozen people gathered for the announcement.

Pensa earned respect in the legal community as a mediator and arbitrator during his nearly six-decade career, working extensively in the field of human rights, before retiring in 2014.

Bill Gray, the chief executive of Gray Ridge Egg Farms, and Claude Pensa, a retired lawyer, were named as laureates to be inducted into the 2018 Junior Achievement London and District Business Hall of Fame. (DALE CARRUTHERS, The London Free Press)

Gray has worked more than 60 years – his entire working career – in the egg-grading business his father Lyle started in Ridgetown in 1934. Gray has grown the enterprise into one of the largest egg-laying, grading and distribution operations in the country. The company employs more than 1,200 full-time workers.

An advisory council reviews nominations and selects two people to induct into the Hall of Fame annually. Past inductees include John Labatt II, Sir Adam Beck, Carol Stephenson, Richard G. Ivey, Vito Frijia and Mike Smith.

“These individuals give back to the community and make our communities what they are today,” Robinson said, describing Pensa and Gray as role models to students and young people.

The inductees will be honoured at a gala dinner on Oct. 18 at the London Convention Centre.

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